


A Hangry sorceress'  Adventures in Thedas

by Melleniaofwaiting



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition, The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: And it is the witcher so..., BAMF Cassandra, BAMF Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Bisexual Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Cassandra Pentagast Does Not Like Yennefer, Cassandra Pentaghast's Disgusted Noises, F/F, F/M, False Accusations, Friends With Benefits, Genocide, How Do I Tag, Hurt Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jaskier | Dandelion & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg Friendship, M/M, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Past Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Powerful Yennefer of Vengerburg, Torture, War, Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg is So Done, Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg-centric, its only mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:47:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23724082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melleniaofwaiting/pseuds/Melleniaofwaiting
Summary: When the breach pulls one teleporting witcher woman to Thedas, how will the world survive?Read as one Yennefer of Vengerburg makes her way through Thedas as part of the inquisition with our Herald, who's gender no one can figure out.Corypheus should watch out because everyone knows you shouldn't fuck with an angry sorceress.
Relationships: Iron Bull/Dorian Pavus, Yennefer of Vengerburg/Iron Bull, Yennefer z Vengerburg| Yennefer of Vengerburg/Iron Bull, Yennefer z Vengerburg|Yennefer of Vengerburg/Morrigan
Comments: 19
Kudos: 66





	1. Colors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I suck with beginning chapters because I never get to put any plot into it.  
> Anyway enjoy and know this story is going to be a lot better than this chapter suggests.

Grey. It was everywhere. The sky was grey, the ground was grey and dusty. The few plants who dared survive in little patches spread around the field She stood in were sad looking. Everything was grey, as if the world dared not have color in the face of her wrath.

She sighed. The world She was currently in was... disappointing.

Then again, weren't they all?

It had been years. Far too many years since She had settled. 

She had barely been in this new world a week and She was already aware she would not be welcome to stay any longer.

It was time to move on. The natives of this world had been split between those who had worshiped her and those who wished to kill her for being a false god.

It wasn't as if She wanted to be seen as a god, especially since both parties wanted to sacrifice her to their super god. Who was, who would have guessed it, Male.

Her options, which were to be a bride killed on an altar or thrown into a volcano as an honor killing, were unsurprising unattractive.

She was starting to miss the old days of Royal court, where the most you had to expect was assassination, incest, hostile takeovers, and political maneuvering all disguised as harmless gossip. At least they had baths.

With a wave of her hand, She summoned a portal. Stepping through, She started walking through Chaos.

To describe chaos was hard. It was all the colors that could possibly exist and quite a few that shouldn't. It was ancient and young. Energetic and vampiric in nature. Opposites working in harmony.

She walked a narrow path, with worlds branching off like tree limbs beneath her feet. Intertwined and connected yet distant.

There were few who dared to go off the beaten path where laid poisonous death and beauty that killed slowly and instantaneously.

Chaos was beautiful, in its own way. It was slow and fast, bright and dull at the same time.

Sometimes, She felt that it might be the only time She was ever at peace.

Unexpectedly, She felt a violent tug at her being, like someone threw a rope around her core and pulled.

"What-?" Suddenly She was flying, tumbling. Missing a step in the staircase of the universe. And down She rolled.

'This had never happened before.'

Of course, there were the occasional summoning by cultists but it had never been this violent before. It had also never happened whilst She was knee-deep in Chaos.

Green was swirling all around her. Suffocatingly green, pushing at her from all sides. She couldn't breathe, everything was too tight, her skin taut around her face.

Suddenly, with a slam, She fell to her knees.

She kneeled there, gulping in deep breaths as She desperately tried to get oxygen into her starving lungs. Pathetic for all the world to see.

The ground was rocky and hard beneath her palms, unforgiving in nature.

Finally catching her bearings, She looked around in confusion.

Everything was green and at the edges everything became darker, fading into an abyss.

"What the fuck."

Dusting herself off, She started walking.

It felt like miles before she came across another living being.

"Hello? Anyone out there?" They called out.

She came nearer to the person.

"Hello?"

They squinted at her. "Who are you? Where are we?"

"I was hoping you would know." She drawled.

Suddenly there was a chittering sound from behind them. They turned to look and immediately ran as giant spiders started chasing them.

Up ahead on a hill stood a glowing figure with a cape flowing straight up behind their head. 

Together they went, scrabbling up the rocks. The stranger was up ahead when suddenly She was slipping and the glowing figure was reaching to grip the stranger's hand.

The stranger reached behind them and caught her hand just as she started to fall. She gripped their hand tightly.

Everything exploded in a sea of green.

***

"Who are you?"

She was kneeling in a dungeon, chained to the floor. Pitiful. If they thought they could keep her here with only thin chains to protect them, they were going to be in for a rude fucking awakening. This was child's play compared to some of the situations She found herself in.

How She ended up in a dungeon, She couldn't truly say. She had woken up in lots of dungeons before but She was mostly able to recall how that happened. 

After waking up in the green place and grabbing the stranger's hand, everything else just fell away like grains of sand.

She had woken up wet after the dark-haired woman who was now interrogating her had seen to wake her with a bucket of water. She really hated these types of people. The people who always thought they were better than everyone else, that thought they could break her like some common unruly mutt.

She had suffered worse. She had survived worse. She had lived past and forgotten worse.

She would not break.

She smirked.

"Yennefer of Vengerburg."


	2. The beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yen has a potty mouth and gets interrogated, everyone but the inquisitor thinks she's an evil bitch who blew up the conclave and then Quizzy and Yen go on walkies with Cassandra and five other soldiers because there's two of them and they are both Super Evil.  
> TW: Slapping and Cussing/potty mouth/cursing/french.  
> Seriously. They are being really mean to Yen and Yen likes to make her interrogators frustrated.   
> It's the opening of the game. Everyone remembers how horrible Cass was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not satisfied with this chapter at all but here it is.   
> I am SO going to edit this into something better one day.

She slapped Yennefer. 

"Do you expect me to believe that? Give me your real name."

Yennefer raised an eyebrow.

"That is my name. Take it or leave it. I have no need to convince you of the truth."

"What happened at the conclave, Yennefer?" She asked mockingly.

Yennefer couldn't stop the look of disdain on her face. What a bitch. 

"I have no idea." 

"Liar!" Bitch hissed as she jerked Yennefer up by her collar. 

"Cassandra, stop." Snapped a voice from the shadows. 

Yennefer had almost forgotten about her. Almost. She blended in with the shadows quite well, ready to fulfill her role.

Good interrogator/Bad torturer.

Oldest trick in the book. Honestly, it might have even come before the book.

Yennefer had found that the person playing at good was almost always much worse in nature than the person playing at bad guy. They were able to hide their cruelty behind a thin veneer of kindness and understanding.

"You deal with her Leliana, for I fear I cannot control my temper in _its_ presence." Cassandra said. 

"Yeah, fuck you too."

Leliana gave Yennefer an unimpressed look.

"Whilst Cassandra is wrong for insulting you in such a way, I would suggest you change your attitude and refrain from such language. You are a prisoner and suspect. You will cooperate. Now," She said, what do you mean you don't know?"

"Precisely that. I was not at your conclave. I was traveling."

Every good story had a white lie. Why hide the truth when you could bend it to your whims?

"Traveling? If I am to believe that, from where do you hail? I have never heard of any Vengerburg."

"I doubt you have ever heard of it. Vengerburg was razed quite a many years ago." 

"How convenient." Cassandra muttered.

"Where were you going?" Leliana asked gently.

"None of your fucking business." She deadpanned.

This time it was Leliana who slapped her.

It seemed the good girl mask was off. Good. Yennefer was getting tired of this bullshit.

"Where. Were. You going?"

She smiled a bloody smile. She had bitten her tongue. Ah, indulging her love of defiance always made her feel good. In control.

Which, she was, make no mistake.

"Like I said, none of your fucking business."

It continued on in this fashion for a few more minutes before they gave up. 

Cassandra had reached her breaking point and Leliana was just frustrated enough to let her drag her out. Not before calling a warning over her shoulder as she was leaving.

"I would learn to talk quickly if I were you. Tomorrow might have repercussions you can't walk away from."

 _'Bring it on.'_ She thought but kept quiet. Then they were gone.

Yennefer sighed and sagged down a bit. She allowed herself to just breathe for a bit. 

"Hey, you okay?" 

She jerked, the chains rattling against the floor.

"Hey, calm down! It's just me."

In the cell across from her kneeled another prisoner, albeit a little less bruised. 

"Wow, they really did a number on you. You alright?" 

"Yes." She answered, taking heed of the guards stationed outside the cells. 

"They're kinda scary, aren't they? And violent." 

She let out a faint chuckle. "Yes. Not as violent as they could be though." _That's for tomorrow._

The other prisoner made a noncommittal noise. 

It was quiet for a few minutes before, 

"So, how did you end up here?" 

Possibly a trap. She didn't know what this world's policy on magic was. 

"As I said, traveling. I do not know what's going on and I don't truly care." 

"Oh." then, "Are you innocent?" 

"You could say that." 

"What does that mean?" 

"I'm not guilty in the sense that I didn't blow up your conclave. Innocent is not a word anyone would use when describing me though."

"Ah. Blood on your hands?" 

"Far too much." 

It was quiet for a while.

"My name is Linden. Nice to meet you."

The door at the end of the hall thudded open as Yennefer's interrogators made their way past her and to her newfound acquaintance. 

Yennefer wasn't quite sure what happened during Linden's interrogation but it didn't sound very violent.

Loud and accusatory but not violent. 

Which forced her to come one of two very unpleasant conclusions. 

Either Linden was a spy and the interrogation was a ploy to make her trust Linden... 

**OR**

Yennefer was a special case of hated. 

She sighed. 

She knew how that would play out. She had lived a long time and made far too many enemies.

Every torturer thought they were creative, but one interrogation was much like another. It's not as if she made a habit of getting herself into these situations. She made it a life goal not to, but just because she tried to avoid it, doesn't mean she was always successful. 

Destiny just hated her. 

Suddenly, Linden's cell door opened and Leliana stepped through. She gave Yennefer a cold stare which she met with a mocking smile. She turned away from Yennefer and to the guards.

"Get her out of the cell and bind her hands. I want five of you guarding her. You will be accompanying Lady Pentagast and the other prisoner."

"Yes, Sir!" They saluted her as she left before opening Yennefer's cell and binding her hands in metal cuffs.

It would seem she was going to get out a lot sooner. The question was where and why. To a torture chamber? It could be they were trying to catch her unprepared. Maybe use Linden as leverage. Make an example of Linden? 

They roughly shuffled her out just as Pentagast came out with Linden. 

She let go of Linden in favor of getting close to Yennefer's face. 

"I'm watching you, prisoner. Try anything and I will end you." She hissed. 

Yennefer lifted an unimpressed eyebrow. 

With a final suspicious glare, they started moving. 

Yennefer took the time to look at Linden as they made their way to wherever they were going. 

Linden had dark hair and large blue eyes. Pretty in a way that you only really noticed if you looked. 

Otherwise, you might overlook them in a crowded place. 

Forgettable. 

Any curves they might have had were hidden in baggy green clothing that might have been stripped armor. 

Worst of all: Young. 

She estimated Linden to be in her mid-twenties. 

You were never too young to die but Yennefer didn't like it. They had so much Life in them and for it to be so cruelly cut away...

But then they walked past what she assumed must be the torture chambers, up the stairs, and walked through what she realized was a church. Of fucking course.

Suddenly they were outside and it felt like she was in a fever dream. 

If she was asked to describe it in one word, that word would be green. 

However since she wasn't asked to describe it in one word, she would settle for: 

"What the fuck?" 

Very eloquent. 

"Avaar Sky god butt?" Linden suggested in a wavering voice. They had a look of terror and horror on their face. It was not an unreasonable reaction to the monstrosity in the sky. She would take it that it wasn't a usual sight in the world she found herself in.

One of the guards snorted before hastily pretending not to under the disapproving stares of Pentagast and his fellow guards. 

"We call it the breach. It's a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour. It's not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave." 

What it was, is a giant gaping green maw that looked ready to swallow the world. Yennefer stared up into it and felt ill. It was a horrific display of corrupted magic and one she was reluctant to go near. It felt _wrong._

"An explosion can do that?"

Of course it could. Did they not know basic magical theory? 

"This one did. Unless we act, the breach may grow until it swallows the world." 

Suddenly, Linden collapsed to her knees, grasping her left hand, where, finally, Yennefer spotted a green splotch. 

Well, that explains why they might think Linden was involved. It was rather incriminating. 

"Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads and it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this but there isn't much time." 

Could they not pick up the poor child from the ground? Yennefer sighed.

Cassandra turned to her. 

"And you. You're here to look at what you have wrought. You better pray to the maker that the mark works, because if it doesn't it will fall to you to correct this mess and if it requires your life..." 

Yennefer scoffed. 

"You think I did this? As if I'd ever waste my time on something like this. I know not to play with fires I can't control." 

Yennefer was not a good person by any stretch of the imagination. No one would call her a saint and she wouldn't dain any delusions that the things she had done were justified. She had done too many terrible things. Unforgivable things. Things she doesn't want to think too much about...

But she would never do anything like this. Probably... 

Did she?

"We shall see." Is all Pentagast said before they were led through a small make-shift camp. 

The people looked on in judgment as they walked by, some in stony silence whilst others called out insults. 

Then it happened. 

"Knife Ear!" 

Linden turned red and looked down. 

It was then that Yennefer saw the ears and realized Linden was an elf. 

Yennefer turned her head to look at the man who had uttered the slur. She gave him a quick once over before flicking back to his eyes. She gave a wide smile and knew there were far too many teeth involved that were too sharp to be mistaken for human.

His face turned white as snow before he stumbled away. 

The crowd turned quiet as she looked them over before letting out a collective sigh as she dismissed them, her eyes flicking away in disinterest.

Her gaze left them feeling small.

They were judged and found wanting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yen does not approve of your racism. She does not approve your bullshit. She does not approve of any of this and she will be making her opinion very clear. 
> 
> Cassandra: *Exists*  
> Yennefer Greatly Disapproves.


	3. Bitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Cass, Yen, and Lin have walkies, Yen sees what she is being accused of and is Angry but the Angry won't be dealt with until later in this fic.  
> Yen being sarcastic.  
> Yen being a Badass.  
> Yen getting injured and showing off her awesome swordswoman skills because I was super impressed by that in the series. Yen having no idea what to call demons and making up several names for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yennefer feels a little OOC to me, but this is a long time after canon and Sorceresses are immortal... Also, some paragraphs might be together that shouldn't be and I will probably come back later this week and fix it but right now I am just... really tired.

They were at the gates before Linden lifted her head enough to shoot Yennefer a grateful smile. 

"Thank you." They whispered.

Yennefer merely tilted her head a fraction and nodded before looking ahead again. 

It was apparent that Cassandra wanted to explain the villager's hostility because she started to make excuses that sounded rather weak to Yennefer's ears. 

"They have decided your guilt. They need it. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers. It was a chance for peace between mages and templars. She brought their leaders together. Now, they are dead."

Yennefer took note that Cassandra said there were mages. So magic wasn't a completely foreign concept here. Good to know. Though, she already suspected as much. The world had a magic saturation to it, that whilst not as impressive as some places she had visited, was still rather thick.

"What a pretty way of defending racist bastards. I wonder, how many of those people actually know what's going on and how many saw a pointed ear?"

Cassandra ignored her. 

"We lash out, like the sky. But we must think beyond ourselves, as she did. Until the breach is sealed."

Yennefer scoffed. "Ah, yes. Co-operation. I wonder when that changed to chaining and leading innocents into what could likely turn into their deaths." She said dryly.

She wouldn't die, of course. The cuffs were made of iron. Whilst she was feeling rather drained, a by-product of being sucked into this weird situation, she could easily get out of the cuffs. Linden on the other hand... If Linden died, so would Cassandra. She would ensure it.

Cassandra gave her a disdainful look. "I wasn't talking to you."

"I'll do what I can to help. No matter what it takes." Linden said 

Yennefer closed her eyes in anguish. _'Don't make promises like that. Give them an inch and they'll take everything from you.'_

"Thank you. There will be a trial. I can promise no more." Cassandra said.

_'You probably could, you just don't want to.'_

They continued on, Linden walking slightly behind Cassandra as they made their over the bridge they were on. 

It was gruesome. There was blood flecked on the walls and floor, injured soldiers and civilians strewn all over. There stood a man in robes, saying some verses out of what she assumed must be their religion. He was surrounded by soldiers, some of which were not men. Nice to know this world wasn't stuck in a 'women are lesser' mindset.

Across from that group was a soldier violently rocking and murmuring to himself. She suddenly felt very angry. They accuse her of this?

"Open the gates!" Cassandra commanded as they walked past a priestess praying over lines of the dead.

They strode through the gates and up a long path, Yennefer's guards never taking their hands off their swords. She knew they were there specifically for her, as they didn't so much as spare a glance at Linden.

Soldiers passed by them on the path.

"Maker! It's the end of the world!"

There were carts everywhere, some overturned, some burning. All being used as barriers between the soldiers and whatever they were attacking. There were bodies littered everywhere, some dead, some wishing they were. Yennefer turned away from them and kept going up the path.

At the top of the hill, the patch of green magic on Linden's hand flares and they fall to the ground in pain. Cassandra grabs them by the biceps and helps them up. 

“You said there was an explosion. Do you know how I might have survived?”

Cassandra looked uncomfortable. “They said you… stepped out of a rift, then fell unconscious. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was. Everything farther in the valley was laid waste, including the Temple of Sacred Ashes. I suppose you’ll see soon enough.”

_'Well, that's helpful.'_

It was as they were nearing a second bridge that things started going wrong. Well, wrong _-er_. They were passing to the other side, the bodies and moans of the dying having long since lost its charm that Yennefer felt a tingle. It was a little bit like feeling the magic of a conjured storm. She slowed her pace in her distraction and looking up, her eyes widened.

"Look out-"

The green meteor fell on the bridge, shattering it into dust and rubble. She fell hard, tumbling down, her arms coming up to protect her head in vain. Dirt and rubble hit her from all sides. Finally, the world stopped turning and she lay there gasping, blood streaming from a cut on her temple. She blinked hard a few times but the world remained fuzzy. She tasted blood in her mouth. Probably reopened the wound.

"Yennefer? Yennefer! Yennefer, are you alright?"

Suddenly, there was dark hair and blue eyes and horrible green cloth that she really hated the color of. She was getting sick of green.

"Are you alright?" Linden looked concerned.

She blinked hard in an effort to clear her vision before nodding a bit dazedly. "Yeah."

Linden looked a bit dubious. "You're covered in rubble."

Yennefer sat up on her elbows. The rubble and broken bricks beneath her dug uncomfortably into her body. She shifted to try to pick up the large slab of rock pinning her leg, Linden coming to help. Quickly they got it off of her.

Yennefer looked Linden over discretely. Dirty and disheveled, covered in dust and what must be quite a many cuts and bruises but not injured as far as she could tell. 

"Where's Cassandra?" Yennefer asked, suddenly aware of the lack of growling.

The guards' fates she unfortunately knew, the sudden severing of a mind leaving with a soul a vivid memory playing over in her head. Their last thoughts had been panicked. It had been over quickly. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or not.

Linden looked away from the bridge and to the right where Cassandra was fighting a...

Hunched rotting cloth monster thing? It looked like one of the wraiths from her homeworld, except it was bigger and lacked the thin starved look most wraiths carried. It held no face and looked to be primarily made of cloth. _Fascinating._

"I should go help her." They said before standing up and pulling two daggers from their waist. Yennefer could swear those weren't there before. They took a running start before launching at the nearest rag abomination.

Yennefer struggled to her feet, a wave of dizziness prompting her lifting a hand to the back of her head and coming away red. She looked down at herself and grimaced. She doubted she would ever be able to get the dirt and dust- _where did the blood come from?_ -out of the shirt and pants. 

She glanced around. There were at least three Rag-Rots and two glowing Green- _What was it with Green?!_ \- humanoids that were throwing energy.

Cassandra was dealing with two of the Not-wraiths, with Linden covering her back before darting out after killing her own Rag-rot, heading towards one of the green spirits. Yennefer startled as Linden disappeared suddenly. She narrowed her eyes be, barely making out the faint shimmer that proved Linden hadn't just disappeared.

It would seem the use of magic was a lot more common than she thought.

She stumbled forward, freezing as her boot clattered against something. She looked down before groaning in exasperation. 

She sighed. "Really?" 

She shook her head, instantly regretting it as her world spun. She reluctantly picked up the two short swords at her feet. One sword at the feet of a Master Swordswoman? Coincidence. Two well balanced short swords at the feet of a Master Swordswoman who preferred dual-wielding? It reeked of the meddling hands of destiny.

She already knew she was going to regret this.

Yennefer quickly sprung into action, swiping at the nearest enemy, which happened to be a green spirit. She gracefully swung one of her blades at it, the other held in a parrying hold. The green spirits were neither corporeal nor incorporeal. It was a strange combination that wraiths had a tendency to mimic. The more damage you did to it, the more of it fell away like burning paper. 

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something that didn't look quite right approach Pentagast, who was distracted by another Rag-rot. 

She finished off the Green Wraith, before turning on her heel and throwing her sword at The Rag Rot approaching from behind Pentagast. It gave a shriek as the sword pierced it through its torso. Pentagast Spun around, having sliced through her former enemy. Quickly, She raised her blade high and sliced down, the monster's head tumbling down and dissolving into goo.

Yennefer was just happy she had managed not to step in said Goo.

It was not long afterward that the fight ended. 

“Drop your weapons. Now.”

“No. If you’re going to lead me through a demon-infested valley, you’ll have to trust me.” Linden said.

“Give me one reason to trust you.”

“Because my life is on the line.”

Cassandra sighed. “You’re right.”

She turned to Yennefer. "You, however, will need to disarm."

"That's not fair-" Linden started to protest.

"Disarm." Pentagast ignored Linden, looking Yennefer in the eye, her hand on her sword hilt.

"Alright." She said.

"But-"

"Don't worry about it. If worse comes to worst, I'm sure Pentagast can fulfill her dream of Knight in Diminished Armor." Yennefer gave them a reassuring smile but Linden didn't look very reassured.

Tough. 

She chucked the sword over her shoulder, uncaring where it went. The other one had disappeared and she didn't care to search. Pentagast frowned at her.

"Let's go." Yennefer smiled.

If worse came to worse, she still had a dagger hidden up her sleeve, a talisman full of magic around her neck, and a large repertoire of nasty spells to choose from. 

Everything would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will remain salty about the fact that a fucking bridge exploded and collapsed underneath you and you take no damage whatsoever.  
> Comment pls. Any advice on how to write Non-binary characters is welcome.  
> I have never written a non-binary character before and I almost scrapped it, I was so nervous about it but after this chapter, I feel a little better. Still nervous but a little more like I can do this.


	4. Yennefer doesn't give a fuck.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our story continues.  
> Yennefer is back up to her shenanigans. Linden is Soooo Done with everyone's bullshit. Solas POV.  
> Also: Blame Yennefer and Solas for the Extremely late update. They are both perfectionists and they would not allow me to publish this until they was perfect. Thankfully, I have managed to sneak behind their back and publish it! Muhahahahhahaha!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been written and complete for MONTHS. I hated it. I switched POVs. I completely changed POVs. I deleted whole paragraphs. I edited it to hell and back. And I still hate it. It's horrible. But, I realize I will never improve and get into this stories writing rhythm if I don't actually write and publish my chapters. I need to continue writing and keeping these chapters is selfish to the people who want to read the next chapter of this series.  
> Good news is, the next chapter is ALSO finished. Yay!  
> So yeah. Enjoy.

Cassandra turned to Linden, handing her four bottles of red liquid. "Take these potions. Maker knows what we will face." She said before drinking one herself.

She turned and threw one at Yennefer, which she caught without missing a beat.

She lifted an eyebrow. "What, exactly, are these?"

"You've never seen a health potion before?" Cassandra asked sarcastically. 

Yennefer rolled her eyes. "Of course I have. Excuse me though for not drinking foreign liquids." Derision dripped from her words like poison as she lifted it to her nose to sniff. It smelled sharply of herbs. She wrinkled her nose at it. Despite her words, she shrugged before shooting it back.

She felt her head clear in pulses as the potion combined with her magic to heal her. The gash above her hairline closed with a sharp sensation of flesh pulling itself together. She didn't care for the sensation it caused.

They started walking again.

Linden wandered nearer to her. "How are you doing?" 

"I am well." Her body ached.

They gave her a dubious look which she steadfastly ignored.

"If you say so." They said. "What a day it has been, huh?"

"Day's not done yet." Yennefer said with a grim look.

"Yeah." Linden stopped suddenly, startled.

"Wait. Weren't you cuffed? I mean, it's good that you're free but...How?"

"Huh? Oh, those. They broke open when we fell."

She had accidentally disintegrated them with a burst of magic when the bridge's sudden collapse had startled her.

"Huh... I didn't think they would be so flimsy."

Suddenly, Cassandra snapped a pair of thick manacles over Yennefer's wrists.

Yennefer raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She wasn't too worried. Even without her magic, she was strong enough to break through these like paper. It was one of the first skills she had decided to learn Afterwards. She had felt the consequences of not being able to do so before. Not even Dimeritium could hold her now. She made sure of it.

"Yes. I do not trust you."

Linden started to protest. "Cassandra!"

"If she is innocent, the Chantry will prove it."

"I somehow doubt that." Yennefer said.

"The chantry is guided by the Maker. It would not falsely punish the innocent." Cassandra said before increasing her stride so that she walked in front of them.

Linden sighed and moved closer to Yennefer. They put their hand on Yennefer's arm.

"I am so sorry. I didn't think she would do that. She has to see you are innocent."

"She believes herself to be right and can't see beyond her own judgment." She shrugged.

She leaned down as if to tell a secret. "I suspect she has a few unresolved kinks though." She mock whispered as she shook her bound hands.

Linden clapped a hand over their mouth, trying not to laugh as Cassandra suddenly stopped and whirled around.

"I do not!" She said indignantly, her face beet red in offense.

She smirked. "Could have fooled me."

"I-You-Ugh." She made a Disgusted Noise before she started walking again.

Yennefer felt her lips twitch.

It remained silent for a good few minutes before Linden dared start a conversation with Cassandra. Yennefer was content to walk in silence behind them. 

"Where are all your soldiers?" Linden asked.

"At the forward camp, or fighting. We are on our own, for now."

"Alright."

They crossed over the frozen river without slipping before turning right and going up a small hill. There were two corpses at the top. As they passed, Yennefer spotted an interesting-looking plant and what looked like an iron vein.

At the crest, they spotted more shades forming on the frozen river below.

"Watch out. Demons." Linden warned.

"If we flank them, we may gain an advantage." Cassandra turned to Yennefer. "You, stay here." She said before moving downhill where she and Linden quickly killed the demons. 

There were three corpses where the demons had formed. Yennefer wasn't sure what that meant.

They ran along the frozen river until they reach a set of stone stairs. 

There were more dead bodies and even more demons. Yennefer was starting to hate this world with extreme prejudice.

By the time all the demons were killed and they had made their way to and up more stairs, Cassandra and Linden were exhausted. They didn't look like they were stopping, however.

"They're falling from the Breach!"

"You don't say..." Yennefer muttered, though she doubted either of them heard her.

They seemed to be bonding over mutual demon-slaying.

_'Nothing like violence and the end of the world to bring people together.'_ She thought.

"We're getting close to the rift. You can hear the fighting."

"Who's fighting?"

"You'll see soon enough. We must help them."

At the top of the stairs, they turned right, bypassing the burning bridges.

Suddenly, they turned a corner and the fighting started.

"Wait." Cassandra snagged Yennefer by the arm.

"What?"

"I cannot in good conscience allow a civilian to join battle without a weapon to defend themself with."

Linden looked hopeful. "Does this mean-"

Cassandra pulled back and punched Yennefer in the diaphragm. She coughed and collapsed to her knees, clutching at her stomach.

"What the fuck Pentagast?" Linden fell to their knees, their hands on Yennefer's back and elbow as she wheezed.

Yennefer shuddered and fell to her side, curling up like a dying spider.

"What? It will keep her out of the way of the fighting."

"Maker. You're sick seeker." She exhaled shakily. "What if she dies?"

"She won't die, elf." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh? How sure can you be of that? What if you hit her too hard and one of her organs fail? What if her lungs fail? What if a demon comes along and kills her? You shouldn't hit people, especially not there! I've seen others die from less force than you hit her with."

"What choice did I have?"

"The choice not to hurt an innocent woman. The choice not to be an asshole."

"We need to go. She will be fine."

"I'm staying with her."

"No. Go with Pentagast. I'll be fine." Yennefer wheezed. She didn't want Linden to go with Pentagast.

"I can't leave you here like this. There are demons everywhere. You'll die."

As if. "No, I won't. Go. I will be fine, child."

"No. I'm staying with you."

Yennefer reached up and curled a hand around their shoulder, dragging them closer to her. Putting some power into her voice she firmly whispered. **"Go."** Then, she released them, so they could sit back upon their knees with a dazed expression.

They blinked and frowned. "Are-are you sure?"

"Yes. Now go."

Linden sighed unhappily but got up. They looked at Yennefer with reluctance before loosening one of the daggers at their side. Linden handed it to her, only to have it handed back.

"No. Keep it. You need it more than I do."

"Yennefer, I'm not leaving you here unarmed. Either you take it or I'm not leaving."

Yennefer sighed, not in the mood to argue right now. "Fucking fine. Just go."

"I-"

Cassandra sighed and grabbed their arm and left, Linden looking back every so often before they disappeared from view.

Yennefer laid there curled, taking deep breaths through her nose. She felt her magic running through her body, trying to heal itself. Her body was tough but the unexpected trip here had weakened her. Cassandra's blow was the least of her problems. The magic which usually protected her had been lost to the uncontrolled grip of Chaos.

She was cold. Her body ached and old scars were making their presence known. She longed for a warm bed, a good book, and some of Corvo Bianco's wine. She sighed. She couldn't stay here. Standing still was the surest path to death.

She didn't want to get up though. She was so tired. She wanted to sit and catch her breath. She wanted Geralt's arms around her. She wanted to hear Ciri laugh at one of Jaskier's stupid jokes. She wanted to listen to Jaskier's voice as he sang. She wanted-

She grunted as she used the rock next to her as leverage to sit up. She was strong. She would get through this. She needed to get up and do things. Her magic was far from what it should be but at least if push came to shove, she could defend herself. 

She got up. Now what?

She could go. They wouldn't be able to find her. They would come back to an empty area and no trace of her ever having existed in anything but their minds.

She shivered and pulled down the long sleeves of her shirt. Damn chaos and its infamous need to destroy most enchantments. 

It was time to go. 

She stumbled her way in the direction Linden and Pentagast went.

_'Why? Fuck you, that's why.'_ Yennefer thought savagely. 

As she came closer, the sounds of fighting grew louder. The clanging of swords and shouts of the living threatened to take her to a place she refused to go. Her vision blurred but she stubbornly pushed away the memories threatening to pull her down to a place filled with fire.

She stood on the wall overlooking the fighting. Pentagast was fighting three shades. A large crossbow bolt flew from the other side of the ruins where a dwarf was standing and shooting at any shade that got too close or snuck upon his companions.

Linden was popping up everywhere, taking out their enemies before going back into stealth.

And in the middle of it all stood a lone bald mage, throwing fire and ice.

Soldiers fell like flies around them, despite Linden and the others' attempts to the contrary. It was obvious they weren't used to such opponents and were equipped for it even less. It was time to end this.

She lifted her arms and summoning lightning, she brought it down on all the shades. Inhuman screams filled the air before slowly fading as they turned to ash.

A stunned silence followed.

She jumped down from the wall, causing the soldiers to pull their weapons on her. She ignored them. Ahead of her, the mage stalked towards Linden and dragged them closer to the green portal.

Yennefer's footsteps grew quicker as the green of the rift hissed and bubbled when he yanked Linden's marked hand up towards it.

It grew larger before it suddenly fizzled and wavered before closing with a pop and a light concussive wind. Everyone except Solas and Yennefer stumbled. Cheers went up as there finally seemed to be some hope in a world gone to Chaos.

Linden seemed a bit stunned. "How did you do that?"

"It was not I-"

Solas stumbled back, dropping Linden's hand to clutch at his cheek where Yennefer had slapped him. 

"Yennefer!"

His surprised face turned indignant. She glared at him, arms crossed from where she stood looming between Linden and Solas. With her only coming up to his chin whilst in heels, and with even Linden being slightly taller than her, you wouldn't think such a petite woman could loom so well. However, this was Yennefer and height had never stopped her before. 

"What was that for?" He asked outraged.

"If you touch Linden again, there will be no end to the suffering I will inflict-"

"Woah, Woah, Woah! Calm down, Yennefer. He didn't mean any harm."

Linden shoved their way in between Solas and Yennefer. "Let's all just take a deep, calming breath. By the way, how are you here? Last I checked, you were horribly injured."

"I heal fast."

"Well... that's useful." They sighed. 

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Cassandra stormed over.

"Surprised?" She drawled.

"Yes! You should be barely able to move, thinking about your actions and how much you regret them, not assaulting people."

"I can and will fling you into another dimension without hesitance."

"So you admit this is your doing!"

They looked close to murdering each other, so Linden inserted themself between the two women. 

"Enough. We have bigger problems. Cassandra, please try and be civil. I know we haven't known each other long and that none of us have started out on the right foot, but people are dying. They need us and they need us to work together. Yennefer, I know you're angry and by the Maker, you deserve to be, but please try not to antagonize or attack people."

"I'm not the one being an asshole." Yennefer sniffed.

"Yennefer, please..."

"Mmh." 

"Not sure what that means, but I'll take it." 

"And I will try not to murder the prisoner." Cassandra said sulkily.

"It's adorable that you think you can." Yennefer sneered.

"Why you little-"

"Hey! Stop it!" Linden yelled.

"I fear that we have all overstepped. It would be most prudent for us to turn over a new leaf and try again. I am Solas. I am pleased to meet you all, though I dearly wish it was on better circumstances."

The bald mage said, stepping forward with a humble air around him.

Linden turned to him with a wide smile. "Thank you! Finally, someone who seems sane in this nightmare. I'm Linden and this is Yennefer. Pleased to meet you."

*** 

Solas had made a mistake. It would be one in far too many he has made in his lifetime, long as it has been.

He had not thought of the consequences. For all his careful planning, he had no seen the fall of Arlathan coming and with it, the fall of the elves. He had been too consumed by his anger.

Or, at least, he wished he could say that. He had known what his actions would cause, but he had not thought anything would survive. He had not thought he would survive.

And he had been right, in a way.

A piece of him died with Arlathan.

He had been consumed by his despair when he woke up from his millennia-long slumber and was confronted with these shadows. Magic was shunned. The races crippled beyond compare for so long they didn't even know something was wrong.

He was consumed by despair when he came up with this foolish plan of his that had led to nothing but ruin. 

He had thought himself clever but clearly, as it seemed almost all his plans of late were, it had flaws he had not seen clearly.

He was too caught up in his own emotions. They consumed him like the wolf he was so famous for consumed its prey.

It led to horror in the sky.

It led to screams. And death. Fear. Fire.

It didn't matter that these beings were hollow. They still felt, if only in a half shadowed way. To them, the pain and fear they felt were real. They died, even if they didn't have much to fade. Their screams were still haunting.

The fading of one of the elvhen was rare and tragic. It was a true tragedy when one of the lights lost their bright shine and their memories, feelings, and magic went out.

These though...

They were gray specks in a world full of gray emptiness. The nearest comfort he could find to his once home was the fade. Sometimes, he feared he would get lost there and never be able to find his way back. Sometimes he wondered if that wouldn't be better than waking up to this.

He had never wanted them to suffer. He wasn't a sadist. Not against innocents. His enemies were another story altogether.

Ants drowning in the rain...

He had made his way to the camp where most of what was left of the conclave were gathered. There, he heard the rumors of the one who they claimed was responsible. Curious, he decided to investigate. He managed to lie his way into meeting the one who seemed to have ruined all his plans. 

It, ironically enough, was an elf. Well, as near a being to Elvhen as this facsimile as a world seemed able to produce. He saw them and would have thought they were True if not for the lack of everything that made elves Elvhen. 

He met the human named Seeker Pentagast, a defendant of a religion that had not properly existed during the time of Arlathan. A defender of a religion poised and biased against those not rich or human, who pretended to be fair and righteous. He couldn't help but scoff. Humans.

He tried to remove his mark. It didn't work, instead, it nearly destabilized completely. Only his quick actions in pouring healing magic stopped it from completely blowing up and taking everyone with it. 

He didn't have the power to remove it safely. Even if he did, he wasn't sure it was possible. Then, decision made, he tried to stabilize it as much as possible. It wouldn't do to have the only one able to fix his mistakes dead. 

Three days he spent trying to fix things, using every trick and healing technique he knew. In the end, he could only stabilize them so much. Staying near the human settlement -filled with panicking masses, suspicious gazes, and the disgustingly submissive Beings portraying themselves as elves- became too much and so, on the third day, he packed what little he had and made his way to the Breach to find answers. 

He met a curious dwarf, nothing particularly special about him, being attacked by demons. He silently stepped in and together with crossbow and staff, they fought them off without words. Not that he needed the staff. His magic was usually far too powerful for him to ever use a staff. Usually. Without his orb and in the weakened state he found himself in, the staff was, unfortunately, a crutch he needed to lean on at the moment. It also wouldn't do to make the humans suspicious.

The dwarf introduced himself as Varric Tethras, a storyteller, during a lull in the fighting. He barely managed to get out his own name before a new wave of demons came into being.

The two of them fought their way closer to the breach, before joining a squad of soldiers in fighting them.

As soldiers fell and it began to seem few to none would survive, Seeker Pentagast and the carrier of his mark showed up and changed the tide of battle. It would seem they had woken.

The carrier was a swift and brutal fighter, like a mighty whirlwind, who placed more worth on remaining unseen and ambushing their enemies than on brute strength. If they survived, they would be placed in a lot of discomfort, as he had no doubt that they would be scrutinized by the masses, either as a prisoner or a hero. He wondered if they could be persuaded to join him...

He shook off those thoughts. He would think more on that later. If they survived, he would decide if they would fit into his rapidly changing plans.

Then, unexpectantly, he felt a great swell of foreign magic, old, ancient. Powerful. Intoxicating... It pulled you in like an underwater cave promising treasure and jewels, whilst secretly only leading to a painful death, it's maws closing and trapping you in darkness. Forever.

It summoned a great storm of lightning, decimating their enemies.

How beautiful. 

He couldn't focus on that though. The lull in fighting had created the opening he needed. He made his way to the carrier and with a jerk, he used the mark to close the rift.

He felt the old familiar power flowing beneath the pulsing wrist, so tempting. He dearly wished to reach out and consume it, but through his foolish actions, it was but a meaningless temptation that could not be sated. The power beneath his hands was lost for now, and if things went wrong, could be lost forever.

What a fool he had been.

He casually dropped the carrier's arm and plastered on his most charming mask.

"How did you do that?" They asked surprised.

He felt a pang of guilt at that but kept up his easy smile. So near to the carrier, he could not help but marvel. What a creature, to contain even a fraction of his power was a feat. So close now and awake,  
he found himself slightly distracted by the beauty and intellect shining through dark blue eyes like stars.

Oh, what a tragedy for such a being to die because of his foolish actions...

"It was not me-"

Suddenly, he stumbled back, his hand going up to clutch at his throbbing cheek.

That...had hurt.

Solas was made of sturdier things than the mortals around him, even weakened as he was, and yet...He was in pain. From being slapped of all things. If he were mortal, he would not have remained standing. He likely wouldn't have been conscious. And even more distracting, was the sheer power emanating from the being before him.

It crackled about them, buried beneath sickly brown skin and manifesting in puffed-up hair trying, and almost succeeding, in its attempts to escape the braid it was trapped in. The truest sign of their power was a glimpse of glowing amethyst eyes, which were turned towards his- the carrier.

They were arguing about the being's violent actions when suddenly the seeker was involved. In all aspects of human stupidity, their need to take on things capable of destroying them in but a moment was being heavily embodied by the seeker. The seeker seemed determined to gain the beings ire and did not seem to realize the terrible consequences of what would follow. Solas swallowed a sigh. Humans.

He decided to intervene before things could come to blows. There was enough death this day.

"I fear that we have all overstepped. It would be most prudent for us to turn over a new leaf and try again. I am Solas. I am pleased to meet you all, though I dearly wish it was on better circumstances."

Oh, how those words burned. He was above them. They weren't even real in all the ways that mattered. Illusions fooling themselves.

But it suddenly felt worth it when the carrier turned to him with a sparkling smile that lit up their face and Solas' heart DID NOT FLUTTER. At all.

He was above such things. 

_'They're not real. They'll all be dead soon. Do Not Get attached. No. Bad Solas. You cannot afford to make any more mistakes. Even if they seem really- Stop it. No. Bad. Stop being foolish!'_

Thankfully, he did not stutter, even as it felt as if the words he was speaking were all jumbled and clogging his throat. He kept his composure. Even as it felt as if he was screaming internally.

Oh, this was bad.

This was not going to end well for him or his heart.

Or even his body if the glare the self-named sorceress was shooting him was any indication.

***

Oh, he had overstepped alright.

Yennefer took one look at this new player and did not like what she saw, nor did she like the way he was eying Linden.

And unfortunately for Solas, Yennefer did not play nice or fair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary of this chapter:  
> Yennefer: Love me!  
> Linden: What? I didn't catch that?  
> Yennefer: I said Die Cassandra.
> 
> Yennefer: *Breaths*  
> Cassandra: Disgusting
> 
> Solas: I fucked up. What do I do?  
> Solas: I have a plan! And it's a good plan too!  
> Solas: *Fucks up even more*
> 
> Cassandra: *Screams*  
> Yennefer: *Screams louder to establish her dominance*  
> Linden: Why tf are you like this?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?! 
> 
> Solas:hi  
> Yennefer: *Murder mode activated* I want that twink obliterated.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solas and Linden play the Blush Game, Yennefer is trying not to lose her shit, Cassandra is bamf, Varric is getting so Much new writing material and some scouts are saved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second to last chapter before we finally exit the tutorial quest and I can finally start writing the fun parts. And I wrote this today, edited it and am now publishing it. Miracles do happen!  
> It could be because I decided to enter a writing competition where I have to send in a book manuscript in October and I'm still undecided on the plot lol.  
> And what do I do when I'm stressed? Write.  
> So enjoy the fruits of my nervous habit.

Yennefer was doing her best to keep her temper in check. It was no easy task. As the years passed long and hard and quiet, and her power grew to almost unmanageable levels, her temper had grown with it. Thankfully for the beings around her, so had her patience. She wasn't as reckless and impulsive as she once was but any tolerance she had for fools had long since thinned as the years went by and any hope she had of humanity, or indeed any race, disappeared. They rarely showed her anything good.

She had seen far too many terrible things.

Maybe that was the true flaw of immortality.

Not the sorrow of losing loved ones to time and blade. 

Not the boredom of repetition or the fear and scorn that came from mortals who did not understand, and did not wish to understand, choosing to stay in their state of ignorance and hate.

It was seeing too much. Knowing too many truths that hurt.

More often than not, she felt numb.

Her anger was hotter than dragon's fire and a thousand times more destructive but it took a lot out of her when everything was said and done.

"So, how'd you end up here?" The dwarf asked her as they made their way down cliffs of ice.

"Oh, a bit of inter-dimensional travel gone wrong. Next thing I know I'm being sucked away from my destination to this green shit hole, waking up in chains. Not the best welcome I've ever had but not nearly the worst."

"Huh." He sounded surprised. "Well, that's a new one."

"You what?!" Cassandra looked outraged.

Varric ignored her. "So, where were you headed?"

"Not sure. Away. Definitely not here. The world I was going to was rather firmly in the other direction."

"Okay... I'm afraid to ask this but... Did you cause this?"

"Believe it or not, no, I did not."

"Are you sure? Magic has a nasty habit of getting out of control." Cassandra said with a frown.

Yennefer shot her a look that made her recoil and instinctively go for her sword before Yennefer turned away. She felt her heart beat erratically. The eyes of the sorceress had a dangerous look in them, like a predator. The closest thing she had ever felt like it was when she saved Divine Beatrix from a hoard of dragons. And yet, somehow it was worse.

Cassandra had yet to meet anything worse than a dragon.

"What do I look like? A novice? Please, I have complete control of my magic. Even if I had done this, I would have taken credit for it already."

Cassandra frowned at her. An awkward silence fell around them like a heavy veil.

"Well, I believe her." Varric said. Or maybe he was just scared and knew better.

"Indeed. The magic used here is beyond what any one mage could have caused." Solas said.

Linden smiled and dragged Varric into conversation, dispelling the uneasy air.

"Tell me about your crossbow, Varric."

"Bianca? What do you want to know?"

"Well..."

And so they got to talking.

A little further up the path, Linden suddenly fell behind, quickly bumping shoulders with Yennefer before speeding up again.

Yennefer felt her lips twitch into a slight smile.

***

Things quickly progressed as Linden set a brutal pace across the icy valley, and with the sudden addition of Solas and Varric, their enemies didn't stand a chance.

They even closed another rift.

Unfortunately, Linden was starting to tire.

Yennefer insisted on taking a small break, which unsurprisingly didn't win her any points with the Seeker but Varric had caught on to Linden's sagging form.

"We must go. We can stop at the forward camp." Cassandra insisted.

"We need to rest. We're not going to make it to the forward camp if we don't."

"Come on seeker. We're dying over here." Varric complained.

"So are other people dwarf." She said scathingly.

"It might be best if we stopped for a moment, Seeker. We are all exhausted and going into a fight in our state will invite defeat." Solas said hesitantly.

Cassandra sighed. "Fine but only for five minutes, then we must go."

Before Cassandra had even finished speaking, Linden collapsed back into the bank of snow and sat there, just breathing. 

Yennefer hovered next to them and did her best to look like she wasn't.

No one was convinced.

Five minutes went by faster than she would like. 

Solas offered his hand, and Linden groaned but took Solas' hand gratefully, too tired to even blush.

They continued on. 

Linden insisted on going into the burning buildings near the river to see if there were anyone trapped or in need of help inside.

There weren't and Yennefer could see Cassandra was close to losing her temper and Solas, whilst not showing his disapproval as openly as Cassandra, had a small frown on his face. Varric seemed exasperated but use to it.

There was no one. Linden pocketed a shiny blue stone they found and joined the rest of their party.

"I wonder what happened to everyone?" Linden whispered.

No one replied. 

They all knew. 

They set off again, with Linden giving one last sad look towards the burning homes and their absent owners.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they came upon the forward camp and with it, yet another rift.

***

The gate opened with a groan of old wood.

They limped in, exhausted.

Varric sat down on one of the bridge's walls. Solas was leaning against his staff. Despite everything, Cassandra sped up her pace and joined her red-headed counterpart from where she was arguing with a man in robes.

Yennefer sighed. "Let's just hope this one doesn't collapse too." She murmured to Linden.

Linden smiled. "Who knows anymore."

Varric shot them an alarmed look. They ignored him and walked closer to where all the action was taking place.

“We must prepare the soldiers!”

“We will do no such thing.” The man said.

“The prisoner must get to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. It is our only chance!” Leliana insisted.

“You have already caused enough trouble without resorting to this exercise in futility.” He said.

“I have caused trouble?” She said, danger in her voice.

“You, Cassandra, the Most Holy – haven’t you all done enough already?”

Leliana looked close to murder. “You’re not in command here!”

“Enough! I will not have it!”

Yennefer snorted.

He twitched and turned around. “Ah, here they come.”

Leliana sighed in relief. “You made it. Chancellor Roderick, this is–”

Roderick sneered. “I know who they are. As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take these criminals to Val Royeaux to face execution.”

Cassandra puffed up in indignation. “Order me? You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!”

“And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry!” He gritted out.

“We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor, as you well know.”

“Justinia is dead! We must elect her replacement, and obey her orders on the matter.”

Cassandra and Leliana looked ready to tear him apart. Yennefer recognized when a murder was about to take place and moved back a few steps. Clearly, Linden did too.

“So none of you are actually in charge here.” Linden said.

“You killed everyone who was in charge!” He yelled.

"Which one of us?" Yennefer asked.

"What do you mean, which one of you? Both!"

"Oh, come one. I'm being accused of a crime I didn't even commit and I have to share?"

Roderick turned away in disgust. “Call a retreat, Seeker. Our position here is hopeless.”

“We can stop this before it’s too late.” Cassandra insisted.

“How? You won’t survive long enough to reach the temple, even with all your soldiers.”

“We'll charge. It's risky but it's all we have. It’s the quickest route.” Cassandra said.

“Not the only one and by far not the safest. Our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains.” Leliana interjected.

“We lost contact with an entire squad on that path. It’s too risky.”

"And charging like hooligans isn't?" Yennefer wondered. They ignored her.

“Listen to me. Abandon this now, before more lives are lost.” He insisted.

Suddenly, the Breach seemed to grow and Linden's hand sparked. They gave a pained noise.

Cassandra gave Linden a concerned look. “How do you think we should proceed?”

Linden looked to Yennefer. 

Yennefer raised an eyebrow at them. 

"I think we need a little more information here." She said. She turned towards them. "Before the scouts, how long was it since anyone's been in the mountains? How high up is it? Will we be going over it or heading underground? What are the chances of there being creatures living there?"

“We'd be going through one of the old tunnels, part of an old mining complex. These mountains are full of such paths.”

"What kind of creatures are you referring to here?" Roderick asked.

"Dragons, flesh-eaters, undead, giant spiders, snakes, ogres, nekkers, water-dwelling creatures like sirens and drowners or giant tentacle monsters or flesh-eating fish, maybe even some evil spirits bent on revenge and/or the complete destruction of humanity. Things like that." She said casually.

There loomed a silence as everyone stared at her.

"Is that a yes?"

"I'm well-traveled and well-read, and I only know about a third of whatever the fuck you just said."

"I...doubt there will be anything of the sort there except for some demons."

"Hmmm. Well, if we do choose to travel that route, it's something to look out for."

"I..." 

"Anyway," Cassandra interrupted aggressively. "It's up to you." She said to Linden.

Linden looked conflicted.

"How certain are you there are no creatures up there?"

"Completely." Cassandra said.

Linden sighed. "Well then, I guess we'd better go save those scouts then."

***

They hiked up the path and up snowy inclines until they reached the first ladder. Something about all of this reminded Yennefer of something, long ago.

"The tunnel should be just ahead. The path to the temple lies just beyond it.” Shouted Cassandra over the howl of the wind.

“And your missing soldiers are in there somewhere?” Varric asked.

“Along with whatever has detained them.”

“We shall see soon enough.” Cassandra said. 

The party glanced at each other but trudged on in silence.

Yennefer's words had gotten to them all and their imaginations worked overtime on what exactly was inside. 

They climbed up the cold and slippery ladders. Things were progressing as well as it could, up until Solas slipped on the rungs. He tipped backward with a gasp, his cold fingers too stiff to grab on.

Thankfully for everyone, including poor Solas who would have met an unfortunate end falling past the platform, Linden was climbing right below him and grabbed ahold of him. They pulled him closer before pushing him against the ladder. Linden then grabbed the sides of the ladder and climbed up until they were right behind him, their chest flush against his back. 

"Are you alright?"

Solas was taking deep breaths through his nose, his heart pounding a tattoo against his chest.

"Yes, thank you."

"Stay close, and be careful. I'll go up the ladders with you."

"That...won't be necessary. I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"The cold is doing neither of us any favors. It's more logical to stick together."

Solas gave a world-weary sigh, a bright blush on his face. "Alright. Thank you."

And so they continued on up ladder after ladder until they got to the last platform and followed it to the entrance of the tunnel where they hesitated.

"You sure there isn't anything...monstery inside Seeker?" Varric asked.

"No, dwarf. There isn't."

"Are you sure? I mean, you have been wrong in the past."

"Are you scared? I would think a companion of the Champion of Kirkwall would be a little braver."

"Just being cautious Seeker."

Cassandra sighed and pulled her sword before making her way inside, followed swiftly by the rest of their party.

***  
In the end, there were no spiders or dragons or snakes or sirens or ghosts. There were, however demons, which wasn't much better.

The mine was dark and damp but the torches still worked well enough to illuminate the way as they made their way to the exit. In the rooms, there were chests and sacks and other miscellaneous objects laying around.

Linden had to be reminded several times to keep up, and as they kept walking, Linden gave longing looks back at all the things they could rummage through.

"You know, you can always come back and look through it all." Varric said with a quirk of his lips.

"Not if I die." Linden said.

"Well, who knows. You might not."

"I'm not so sure. The fates are stacked against me." Linden sighed. "Fen'harel shits in my dinner once again."

Solas choked on his own spit as Varric gave a hearty laugh.

"Fen'harel?" Yennefer asked.

"I... will tell you about him later. If we survive this."

"I'll hold you to that."

***  
In the end, they found three dead soldiers, managed to save the rest of the scouts, and closed a rift.

“Sealed, as before. You are becoming quite proficient at this.” Solas commented.

Linden blushed. "Thank you."

“Let’s hope it works on the big one.” Varric said.

Cassandra helps one of the soldiers to her feet.

"Are you alright, soldier?"

“Yes, thank the Maker you arrived when you did, Lady Cassandra. I don’t think we could have held out much longer.”

“Thank our prisoner, Lieutenant. She insisted we come this way.”

“The prisoner? Then you…?” 

“It was worth saving you if we could.” Linden smiled awkwardly.

“Then you have my sincere gratitude.” She said with a grateful bow of her head.

“The way into the valley behind us is clear for the moment. Go, while you still can.” Cassandra said.

"We will do so at once, thank you Lady Pentagast." She said before turning to what was left of her squad. “Quickly, let’s move!”

“The path ahead appears to be clear of demons as well.” Solas remarked.

“Let’s hurry, before that changes.” Cassandra said. “Down the ladder. That’s the way to the temple.”

"Alright. Let's do this." Linden said with a nervous swallow.

And so they made their way down the hill towards the temple.

“So… holes in the fade don’t just accidentally happen right?” Varric asked.

“If enough magic is brought to bear, it is possible.” Solas remarked.

“But there are easier ways to make things explode.”

“That is true.” Solas allowed.

"Yes, like setting things on fire." Yennefer remarked.

"What if this isn't what they expected to happen though? Maybe they miscalculated. After all, how does this benefit them?" Linden wondered.

"There are sick people out there who are probably giggling themselves sick over this, my dear." Yennefer said.

“We will consider how this happened once the immediate danger is past.” Cassandra brought them back to track with a shudder.

***

They approached the ruins of what once was the temple.

They were silent in horror as they passed the corpses, forever stuck in the position they were in when they died, their faces twisted in terror.

“The Temple of Sacred Ashes.”

“What’s left of it.” Varric said.

“That is where you walked out of the Fade and our soldiers found you. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was.”

"I...don't know how to react to that?"

"Well, it's certainly ashy." Yennefer coughed. "I think I just accidentally inhaled some poor bastard."

Solas and Varric grimaced in disgust.

"Have some respect." Cassandra snapped.

"For who? They're dead. I didn't kill them. I feel for them but it's not my problem."

Cassandra looked ready to murder her but Linden interrupted. 

"So, that's the breach. It's...really high up. And big."

"You can say that again." Varric snorted, only to regret it a moment later.

They entered what was left of the temple, where Leliana was waiting for them.

“You’re here! Thank the Maker.”

“Leliana," Cassandra smiled before falling back into command, "Have your men take up positions around the temple.”

Leliana nodded and with one final look, she walked away to arrange things.

Cassandra turned to Linden. “This is your chance to end this. Are you ready?”

"I'll try. I’m assuming you have a plan to get me up there?" Linden said breathlessly.

“No. This rift was the first and is the key. Seal it, and perhaps we seal the Breach.” Solas said.

"How do you know it's the first?" Yennefer asked, suspicious.

"I have been studying rift magic for many years. I see it in the magical patterns and the way the corpses are placed."

Yennefer wasn't convinced but let it go. 

"Let’s find a way down. And be careful.” Cassandra warned before carefully starting to pick her way across.

As they started to get closer, voices boomed across the room.

**“Now is the hour of our victory. Bring forth the sacrifice.”**

“What are we hearing?” Cassandra asked, alarmed.

“At a guess: The person who created the Breach.” Solas said stiffly.

They pass two archers getting into position overlooking the rift.

Suddenly, Varric stopped dead. With a shaky hand, he pointed towards a cluster of crystals growing against the walls. They pulsed with sickly energy. Their ominous red glow was menacing.

“You know this stuff is red lyrium, Seeker.” Varric said with panic in his voice.

“I see it, Varric.” 

“But what it’s doing here?” He insisted.

“Magic could have drawn on lyrium beneath the temple, corrupted it…” Solas speculated.

“It’s evil. Whatever you do, don’t touch it.” 

"No arguement here." Yennefer murmered.

**“Keep the sacrifice still.”**

_**“Someone help me!”** _

“That is Divine Justinia’s voice!” Cassandra barely held back from running to wherever the voices were coming from. Impatience sped up her gait, her hand on her sword.

They reached the end of the path and jumped down the stairs. Inside the pit underneath the rift, bones and skulls lay like a deadly stage.

 _ **“Someone help me!”**_ It repeated.

Linden's voice suddenly cried out. **“What’s going on here?"**

“That was your voice. Most Holy called out to you. But…” Cassandra trailed off.

With a flash of white light, ghostly images of the Devine and a being in red appeared. The Divine was floating, held in place by red energy wrapped around her arms. A large dark figure with glowing red eyes was looming over her when a ghostly version of Linden barged into the room.

 **“What’s going on here?”** Linden repeated like a broken record.

**“Run while you can! Warn them!”**

**“We have an intruder.”**

"Why call for help and place someone in danger if you're just going to tell them to run?" Yennefer wondered.

**“Slay the elf!"**

And with another flash of white light, the ghostly images disappeared.

“You were there! Who attacked? And the Divine, is she…? Was this vision true? What are we seeing?” Cassandra grabbed Linden by the shoulders.

“I don’t remember!” Linden insisted, frustrated by their apparent amnesia.

“Echoes of what happened here. The Fade bleeds into this place.” Solas explained.

Cassandra sighed and let go of Linden. "Why couldn't this have been easy?"

“This rift is not sealed, but it is closed… albeit temporarily. I believe with the mark, the rift can be opened and then sealed properly and safely. However, opening the rift will likely attract attention from the other side.” Solas went on, ignoring her.

“That means demons." Cassandra said, before she turned to her men and Leliana. "Stand ready!”

"Are you going to be alright?" Yennefer asked Linden quietly.

"I don't know."

"You're going to be alright, I'll ensure it. You still owe me that explanation, remember."

"Yeah." Their voice cracked. Linden took a deep breath. "Let's do this. Stay safe, Yennefer."

"I will." Yennefer squeezed their shoulder before moving farther away.

Linden took a deep breath before raising their arm and opening the rift.

And out came something of nightmares.

"Pride Demon!" One of the soldiers shouted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought? Leave a comment.  
> Also! I just created a tumblr for my writing. Come scream at me there. I hope I link correctly.  
> https://the-armadist.tumblr.com/


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